Lies
by M.P-chan
Summary: Years after disappearing, Shinichi is legally declared dead. While sorting out his feelings about how things have gone, he tries to start his life over with Ai. Can things work out for them? Ai x Shinichi
1. Chapter 1

**M.P-chan:** This is the first segment of the Within Temptations timeline. I'm not sure how long "Lies" will eventually get, so please stay with me! By the way, this is Ai x Shinichi, so if that's not our things, you may want to skip this fanfic.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Detective Conan, it belongs to Gosho Aoyama and various companies with whom I am completely unconnected. This is a FANWORK, so please don't sue me.

**Lies**

The young girl walked down the street in quiet contemplation. Though many of her fellow students were going the same way, she walked alone. She could feel their staring, but she didn't let it distract her from the multitudes of formulas running through her head.

The girl's name was Ai Haibara. She was 15 years old and has recently moved to this district with her older brother Kosuke Haibara, who worked as a fledging novelist. Today had been her first day at her new high school, and she had had to deal with the same whispers and questions she had when she had transfered into her elementary class in Beika 7 years ago.

It wasn't just her quiet and icy demeanor or her mature way of speaking, but her physical characteristics as well. Her auburn hair signified her mixed race and caught the attention of everyone who wasn't used to her peculiar looks.

Suddenly, a dark green car pulled over and a man stepped out of it. He was tall with dark brown hair and blue eyes. To the outside world he was Ai's older brother and legal guardian. "I'm here to pick you up Ai-chan."

Ai gave him an amused smile at the use of her first name and sat down into the passenger's seat. He closed her door for her as she replied, "Yes, Kosuke-niichan."

Returning to his seat and buckling himself in, he turned the car on and pulled into the street. "How was high school? As bad as I remember it?" He nearly ran into the car next to him.

"Same as it always is I guess, but I wouldn't know. I never attended regular high school. You know that. Your driving is as horrible as ever, I see."

He got a hold of his car and pulled out a cigarette and lighted it. "I can't help it. I haven't had a driver's license in 7 years, with no way to keep my skills sharp."

"So what has "niichan" been up to all day?"

"I've made contact with Akai. We found blue prints for the building the Black Organization is using as their temporary base. It'll come in handy if they stay still long enough."

"Oh? I thought you busy stalking Mori-san."

Shinichi gripped the steering wheel tight enough so that his knuckles turned white. "I haven't checked in on her in the last week, and I wouldn't call it 'stalking.' I'm just keeping an eye on her and making sure she's safe."

"Don't try to fool yourself, Kudo. It only makes you look pathetic." Ai rolled the window down as a subtle way of reminding him that she hated his smoking habits. He ignored it.

"You know," she continued, "that going to see her, is only making it harder on yourself. Not that I care, it's just you tend to smoke more when you're upset, and it's contaminating _my_ clean air."

"It doesn't matter how hard it is on me. All that matters is Ran." Did she know it.

"While it's cute you're trying to pull some dignity into your obsession, it's getting old. If you really cared about her safety, or even her happiness, you'd have cut those ties a long time ago. Her intuition is really top-notch. Even if she has no idea you're around, she can _feel_ you. It makes her miss you even more."

"Are you saying this for Ran or for yourself?"

She flinched. "It doesn't matter who I'm saying it for. It doesn't make it any less true."

Shinichi remained silent.

"Though perhaps it isn't Mori-san that has you burning your lungs out today . . . I heard about it from Dr. Agasa, you know. Your family is holding your memorial service tomorrow to keep up appearances."

Shinichi rubbed out the end of the cigarette butt and lighted another one. He knew that anyone missing for over seven years was legally declared dead.

Ai leaned forward in her seat so that her arms could reach and touched his hand. "Are you going to be ok? You might want to take the day off tomorrow."

"I can't. It's better if I stay busy. Then I won't have time to think about it." He pulled his hand away from hers, which she took as meaning, "I don't want to talk about it. Don't pity me."

They remained silent the rest of the car ride home. Shinichi poured all his concentration into driving, successfully trying to ignore everything that plagued him beneath the surface, while Ai stared absently out the window pretending the bright red rays of the setting sun were cracks the darkening sky.


	2. Chapter 2

**M.P-chan:** Hello, everyone! It's been awhile. Bet you thought I forgot about this series, didn't you? I promise, I hadn't. I've just been busy with starting college and moving and being sick in the past 3 months than I have the in the last 10 years.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the long awaited second chapter of Lies!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Detective Conan. I do not own Detective Conan. I do not own Detective Conan. I do not own Detective Conan.

Lies – Chapter Two

Ai heated microwavable dinners; neither she nor Shinichi cooked. Dr. Agasa had promised to visit once a week to visit, and they were both counting on him for actual homemade cooking, not that he cooked particularly well or often.

Sitting down together at the table with their food for several speechless moments, Shinichi found the courage to ask the question that had plagued him every night since they had started playing "family."

"Microwavable curry?" He asked as if in disbelief.

"Yes, Kudo. Brilliant deduction." Ai didn't look up from her food, only quietly started eating.

"I _know_ what it is, it's just that-"

"Just what?" She blew on her spoon, the curry was just a little too hot. She supposed she had cooked it too long.

"I just don't know what it is doing here on my plate. Again." He said, glaring at his plate.

"It's your dinner."

"I know, but if I remember correctly we had curry and rice for dinner yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that too. And if I also remember correctly, we had if for lunch every one of those days, including today."

"If you don't want curry and rice, then you don't have to eat it. But it's either curry and rice or starving until the professor comes to visit, since I don't see _you_ cooking." She said apathetically. She didn't want to be bothered to come up with something new everyday. Besides, the curry was on sale.

Shinichi mumbled something under his breath, which may have included several colorful insults, though whether they were directed at Ai or the curry was unclear.

Ai stood up walked to the other side of the table and took his plate away, probably to throw it out. Shinichi pulled on her shoulder to stop her from taking away the only dinner he was probably going to get that night.

Unfortunately, Shinichi had forgotten that they were different sizes now, so he was much stronger than she was.

"Oww. Don't tug on my arm so hard."

Shinichi pulled back his hand and mumbled and apology, "I'm sorry. I'll eat it. But could you make something new tomorrow?"

"Could you please learn to cook yourself?"

Shinichi glared. "Fine. I'll have Agasa come over tomorrow."

Scooping a spoonful of curry and rice into his mouth, he asked, "By the way, what are you planning on doing once the Black Org. is taken care of? Now that we know where they are, Akai is planning an attack. Since the antidote is complete, will you take it? I can't imagine you staying like that forever."

Ai thought for a moment before she answered. It was a very tricky question. She had been happiest when they were in Beika with the professor and Ayumi and everyone else. She had felt a sense of belonging.

But when Kudo had changed back, she had gone with him. She had said it was only to give him a more plausible cover story, but . . . she'd be lying if she said her personal feelings hadn't played into the decision.

Now she spent most days with alone with him, just the two of them. Truth be told, nothing had personally changed, but she had felt comfortable with him. But she also felt lonelier.

It wasn't the just the absence of the kids. Even with "Kousuke" there, his mind was only ever there momentarily. He was a workaholic obsessed with taking down the Black Org., obsessed with returning to "Shinichi Kudo."

Ai could remember the long hours and endless nights she had spent over these last seven years completing the formula for the antidote. It was mostly hard, thankless work.

Ai didn't want to change back into Shiho. Shiho didn't have friends. She didn't have family. And she certainly didn't have Kudo. But then, neither did Ai.

And after all that work for his sake, because it certainly wasn't for hers (secretly, she wouldn't have minded if they had stayed Ai and Conan forever), she watched him transform back into an adult; watched as he left her behind, alone in a child's form.

"I _could_ turn back, I suppose." Ai said at last. "But I can't think of anyone who would be glad if I did. If there was someone like that, I think I would take it."

"I see," replied Shinichi absently. Ai wondered if he had asked for anything more than curiosity, but doubted it.

"_Sign of Four_ is on tonight. Want to see it together?" she asked, but almost she immediately regretted it. She was getting pretty desperate if she was pulling out the Sherlock Holmes card this early in the game.

Shinichi's expression considerably brightened. "Sure. When is it on?"

Before she could tell him it would be on at 8 o'clock, the phone rang. Shinichi picked it up.

"Hello. Who is this? Akai? What's up? Anymore news?"

Ai recognized Akai's voice but couldn't hear well enough to make out the words. Shinichi was quiet for a long time as Akai informed him of something.

A few minutes in, Ai could tell something was wrong. Shinichi's face turned completely white and he was in a cold sweat. Then his expression turned to anger.

Ai could hear that Akai had hung up. Shinichi put down the receiver and stalked toward the closet. He grabbed his coat and his keys and turned to leave. His hand on the doorknob, he only paused long enough to say, "They got away."

When he left, he slammed the door hard enough to shake their small two-bedroom apartment.

Ai remained in her seat. She finished her dinner, threw away Kudo's, and did the dishes. She did the laundry. She cleaned the windows and vacuumed the carpets. She changed the light bulbs and watered the houseplants. She even re-categorized all of the books on their bookshelves.

Half an hour past midnight, he still wasn't home. Ai took a bath. Drying her hair, she returned to her room. Next to her desk was a filing cabinet. It was filled with her Apotoxin 4869 research.

In a sudden, impulsive burst of anger, she yanked open the drawer and threw the antidote file across the room where it hit the wall with a thud. The papers made a small mess on the floor, but she made no move to pick them up. Instead, she slipped into her bed and went to sleep, her back to the remnants of her outburst.

**M.P-chan:** First of all, I've had this chapter done for a while. But the beginning of the chapter reminded me too much of the exchange between Spike and Jet from the first episode of Cowboy Bebop. In my defense, I hadn't even SEEN the episode until after I had finished completely writing this. But my best friend bought me the complete box set for my high school graduation (and birthday) gift, so that brought it to my intention. So if you're feeling déjà-vu, that's probably the cause.

But since I wrote the scene before I saw Cowboy Bebop, I figured it was okay and decided to update Lies after the long delay. It came from the fact that Conan seems to rely on Ran for food. Otherwise he just sits around and complains about being hungry. Ai just didn't seem like a cook to me.

Just as a reminder, Lies is planned at four chapters, so the story is about ½ way through. Ai is 15, Shinichi is 24.


End file.
